Plans for retail park at former Wilko store

Plans have been submitted to turn the former Wilko store in Mansfield into a retail park.

The applicant East India Properties Ltd is seeking to turn the Wilko store and former Legacy nightclub, in Clumber Street, into 22 retail units and a self-storage unit.

The Wilko store has been vacant since 2023 after the Worksop-based firm collapsed into administration leading to the closure of 400 stores across the country.

A design and access statement submitted to Mansfield District Council said: "The proposed scheme seeks to subdivide the large existing retail unit into smaller individual units to enhance the retail offering within the town centre."

"The proposal is designed to function like a pull-up retail park experience," the statement added.

Documents said an existing 118-space car park at the site would be reconfigured to provide two additional loading bays, while the number of car parking spaces would be reduced to 103 to facilitate this.

The business was founded in 1930 when JK Wilkinson opened his first store in Leicester.

It expanded across the Midlands initially and by the 1990s became one of Britain's fastest-growing retailers, rebranding as Wilko in 2012.

But in early August 2023, the firm, which had its headquarters in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, collapsed and put 12,500 jobs at risk, before closing down its stores the following month.

Listen to BBC Radio Nottingham on Sounds and follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.